Acte de baptême de Maximilien de Robespierre/Act of Baptism of Maximilien de Robespierre
Retranscription:
Baptême Robespierre
Le ſix de May mil sept cent cinquante huite a été baptisé par moi ſouſigné Maximilien Marie Isidore né le même jour dans les deux heures du matin en légitime mariage de Maximilien Barthélémy François DeRobespierre [reste illisible]
et de Dem. elle Jacqueline Carrant, le parrain M. Maximilien de Robespierre père grand du côté paternel avocat audit conseil d'artois et la marraine Dem. elle Marie Margueritte femme de Jacques françois Carrant mère grande du côté maternelle.
Lesquels ont ſignés
[Signatures]
Translation:
The sixth of May one thousand seven hundred fifty-two was baptized by me, the undersigned Maximilien Marie Isidore, born the same day within two hours in the morning into the legitimate marriage of Maximilien Barthélémy François DeRobespierre [the rest is illegible]
and of Miss Jacqueline Carrant, the godfather Mr. Maximilien de Robespierre, a grandfather on the paternal side, lawyer at the Artois council, and the godmother Miss Marie Margueritte, wife of Jacques François Carrant, mother great on the maternal side.
Which ones signed
[Signatures]
Notes:
First, we can notice the use of the long s in the spelling used-which had the same function as a lowercase s. This letter was used in French from the time of Charlemagne until the Industrial Revolution. The disappearance of the latter in the English language (where it was also used, amendment in the spelling of the USA Constitution) is also happening at this time.
Moreover, we also notice that Maximilien Robespierre was baptized on his birthday, and what is more, was born very early in the morning. Unfortunately, the church in which he was baptized (Sainte-Madeleine church) no longer exists, destroyed by the municipal council. Nevertheless, a drawing of the church exists!
In addition, I am quite dismayed by the fact that on Robespierre’s wikipedia page (the French version anyway), his mother’s name is not mentioned, but his father’s is. While the act of his baptism gives us the identity of both his parents! This needs to be corrected.
Finally, you also noticed that the surname is not written in the same way. We are used to reading Robespierre or even de Robespierre. Now, here, the father and the man of the church who drafted the act spelled it as 'Derobespierre.' Then, the disappearance of the particle made by Maximilien can be explained by his desire to make his belonging to any form of nobility disappear. But then, why did he previously created it by separating "De" from the rest of its name? Did he want to do like Danton, who transformed his name into 'D'anton' in the attempt to attract the clientele to his office thanks to this particle, a symbol of nobility?
What do you think?
Sources :
Dividers : @saradika-graphics
Acte de baptême/act of Baptise, archives Pas-de-Calais, pages 939/940 : https://archivesenligne.pasdecalais.fr/v2/ark:/64297/8e00c49962e8a9ca45beabc2716fb22d
Image de l'acte/image of the act :
L'église Saint-Madeleine/Sainte-Madeleine church :
